This is a kick-ass kitchen necessity for hardcore home chefs. The KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer isn't just a gadget, it's a culinary machine. This is the same mixer that the chefs from Food Network use. I've coveted it for years, but figured I would never do anything that justified buying one. It's one of the few serious appliances that my mother liked so I thought it was out of my league. But then over the summer it dawned on me that I have made bready foods from pizza dough to cinnamon rolls to bagels from scratch for a few years now and kneaded them by hand. I know what it feels like to give Swedish massages to dough for 10 minutes straight. I deserved that mixer with the dough hook! By the by, the one at Walmart is not the Artisan version.
It has a 325-watt motor, does 10 speeds and comes with a flathead beater, a ball whisk and a dough hook. The KAASM mixes, whips, beats and even kneads dough. It's 5-quart stainless steel bowl is dishwasher safe, and it comes with a plastic pouring shield. But it's not just for bakers. If you decide to buy the mixer attachments, you will get more than your money's worth. This fabulous machine allows for you to grind meat, slice vegetables and fruit, and even roll out homemade pasta. I never envisioned myself as a meat grinder, but when I was making meatballs one day and realized I forgot to get ground meat but had some flank steak that I got on sale in the fridge, that attachment saved me an unwanted trip to the store. I cannot put into words what a hamburger made of freshly ground meat taste like! Plus I could now have ground chicken, lamb or even fish at my disposal without having to nag the meat department to order some.
It comes in 22 colors--that's right...22. Bobby Flay has one in Tangerine, Inga Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) has one in White. Actually, now that number is 23 because there is a pink one that is in honor of breast cancer awareness. When you buy that one, $50.00 goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which I can argue makes at least part of that mixer a tax write-off. I am big on breast cancer awareness and research because I lost my gran to this illness. However, I opted for the pistachio color, (as shown in the pic) because I figured a baby pink mixer would drive me nuts. I would rather just send Susan G. Komen for the Cure a check instead. The squares under the mixer show the other colors except the pink one.
This device is an investment, but one well worth it. It is a machine that you have for at least a decade, but I have met people that have had one for almost 20 years. The design never changes, either. I haven't had to knead dough since I bought it, and the quality of my fillings for pies, cookie dough and even meatloaf (I recommend using the dough hook to mix meat) have improved dramatically. The only catch is that with bready recipes that do not specify using the mixer is that you may have to add a little bit more flour to your recipe, but if you are a seasoned cook, you probably already know that.
I know I've done two expensive products in a row so I will feature a less expensive, novice-friendly tool next time!
Where to buy: any major department store like Macy's, Bed Bath & Beyond, JCPenney or online/catalogs like http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/95730-kitchenaid-artisan-5-quart-stand-mixer.aspx
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